Superman

  This past weekend, my husband and I went to see Man of Steel, which has led me to dub this week the week of superheroes. In all honesty, I thought the movie was just okay, but most men seem to disagree. One thing that did strike me was the relationship shown between father and son. Jor-El, played by Russel Crowe, is father to Kal-El, the future superman. As their world is fading, Jor-El sends his son off in a spaceship to earth in order to save him from the destruction of Planet Krypton and to protect their race by implanting the genes of all Kryptonians into him.
  I suppose what struck me most is quite obvious. Here, we see the father as a hero for risking his own life to save his son's, while the world is destroyed. Yet in God, we find something greater. Jor-El had this intuition that the world was headed towards destruction and took precautions. God, knows the state of his world. He created it in perfection and made Adam and Eve to walk with him and share in his fullness. Yet he gave them a choice to stay in perfect communion with him or not. They chose to disobey and live apart from God. Because of this, sin entered into the world and the world took its first step to destruction. God could have left. He could have seen the destruction and turned away; created the world, set it in motion and then decided that he had better things to do. Rather, he did the exact opposite of our movie hero. Instead of sending his son away from the destruction of the world, he sent him to it.
  Jesus entered the world in human form. Perfectly God and completely man. I have heard a story of a man who preached a sermon and repeated for the entirety of his time on stage "God became a man." He did this because we cannot fully comprehend this beautiful truth. The Creator of the stars came as a human to save the world. And he did not come as some grand King or Pharaoh, but was born into the family of a carpenter. God himself who spoke life into existence had to learn to speak as a child. He required sleep and food. He was "in very nature God [yet] did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, rather, he made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philippians 2:6-7). He faced all the temptations common to man, yet lived without sinning. And this life did not lead him to glory but servanthood; not to a privileged life, but to die a death of torture meant for the worst enemies of Rome, on a cross. 
  You see, rather than send his son away from the destruction, God sent him to it. Rather than allow the world to be destroyed, God sent his son to save it. A sacrifice was required for humanity to become right with God, and Jesus was the spotless lamb. He died, so that we might live. Yet death could not hold him. Jesus was not confined to the grave, but raised from the dead after three days in the tomb to live eternally with God the father and offer us the same privilege.
  Essentially, our world is headed for destruction just like the planet Krypton and later in the movie, earth. But God sent us something far better than Superman for a savior, he sent us his son. Yes, the world will still waste away, but because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have the opportunity to be saved. All because "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but receive salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). He longs for us to receive this gift he has bestowed upon us, but how? Most feel that we have to reach a certain level of "goodness" to get to heaven, but our merit has nothing to do with it. We cannot earn his love, he gives it freely and all we must do is receive it. Acts 2:21 says that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." So call on him. Your prayer doesn't need to be poetic. It doesn't require beautiful words, simply a heart that recognizes the need for God as its true savior. Romans 10 tells us "If you declare with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (vs. 9). It is that simple. I will say this: living for Christ is not easy. Jesus himself tells us to count the cost before we enter into his salvation (check out Luke 14:25-34). To live for him means to die to your own desires. He must become greater and you must become less (John 3:30). I promise you, in light of eternity, it is completely worth it, but that is the decision you must make.
  So if you have never received the peace of God, if you feel a deep hole inside your heart that whispers you were created for something more that this world could ever offer you, here is how you can take the first step to the life God has planned for you in his salvation. First, you must recognize that you have screwed up at some point in your life. None of us is perfect, we struggle with pride and jealousy. We are all self-centered, we all have times of envy, anger, lust, and the list goes on. Acknowledge it before God, he will not turn you away. No matter what you've done, nothing can separate you from his love (Romans 8:35). Do you think you surprised him? He knows you better than you do, but loves you more than anyone on this earth ever has, so humble yourself and admit to your failures. 
  Next, confess to Jesus that you need him to save you. Believe that his sacrifice was for you and accept it. He paid the price you couldn't pay. Acknowledge that and believe that he died and raised from the dead to save you from the destruction of this earth. When you confess your sins and acknowledge him as your savior, the Bible says he forgives us and removes all of our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Once this is done, you are saved and must believe it. The forces of evil will come against you because you are vulnerable in this new state, so find a mentor, find a church, find someone who can speak life and God's word into your life. And open the Bible. Discover the beauty of God's perfect love for you. Breathe easy and smile at the reassurance he will offer. You are loved, you are saved, you are his.
If you are a little frightened about the whole prayer thing, not sure if you'll do it right, pray this:
  "God, I have messed up. I have lived my life for myself and have sinned against you. But I believe you sent your only son into this world to save me. He died and rose again so that I might live, and by his sacrifice, I can be saved. I have done nothing to earn this, but I accept your gift and receive your salvation. I thank you for your sacrifice and for saving my life. Teach me about you, so that I might walk in you light. Shape me and make me more like you with each breath I take. In Jesus' name, Amen."
  He is far better than Superman. And, if you've seen the movie (or are a big superman fan), you know that the "S" on Superman's chest is not really an "S" but an emblem of hope. When you commit your life to Jesus and are saved, you wear a far greater emblem of hope than Superman ever did because yours comes from the heart of a loving creator who sacrificed his only son for you. The world is lost but you have found the hope of the world and it now resides in you, along with his strength and power. Welcome to his everlasting hope and peace. The angels are celebrating and so am I. You are deeply and fiercely loved, so take joy and know that you are saved.